Mario Chalmers' struggles, fouls limiting Heat

June 6, 2014|By Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun Sentinel

SAN ANTONIO — You have to go back to the second game of the second round of these playoffs to find the last time Mario Chalmers scored in double figures. You don't have to go back nearly that far to find the last time the Miami Heat's starting point guard played in the type of foul trouble that limited him in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Coming off Thursday's 110-95 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, when he closed with three points, five fouls and five turnovers, Chalmers said Friday he appreciates more is needed.

"I'm still the same guy. I'm that anxious guy, that energy guy that wants to do what he can for his team, help make everything right," he said. "And I just got to figure out a way to stay on the court longer."

Sensing a loss of confidence from a player who rarely loses confidence, teammates such as Chris Bosh tried to rally Chalmers.

"They weren't yelling at me. They were just trying to encourage me," he said of Thursday's on-court interactions. "Everybody knew I was frustrated with the foul trouble I got into early, and when I got back into the game, I was trying to press as much as I could."

The last time Chalmers scored in double figures was May 8 against the Nets. Since then he's had three games with four or more fouls.

Coach Erik Spoelstra stressed greater caution is required.

"He needs to be more attentive to technique and earlier in his thought process," he said. "Things are happening very quickly obviously at this level of competition and your preparation before the play happens is paramount."

Other options

After Spoelstra went nine deep in Game 1, guard Dwyane Wade suggested Friday that more might be needed from the Heat bench. Among those not to play Thursday was power forward Udonis Haslem. In addition, forward Michael Beasley, who might have been able to step in for LeBron James amid the Heat star's cramping, was inactive.

"I look forward to us using more guys next game, keep guys fresher," Wade said of Sunday's Game 2. "I feel part of our downfall in that game was mental and physical fatigue down the stretch.

"You know, rotations and things that we normally do weren't being done [Thursday] night. It wasn't from not having the will or the want to do it. So we've got to be a little smarter, we've got to go a little deeper into our depth so we are fresher and have the guys out on the floor at the end that we want and need out there."

Foul issue

The Heat attempted only 11 free throws in Game 1 compared to 22 by the Spurs, with six of the Heat's attempts from the line coming from James.

"I felt we were aggressive enough, going to the basket," Bosh said. "Some were turnovers, but I felt we were aggressive enough to get to the line and we didn't get to it as much as they did. We're going to continue to be aggressive. You just have to keep attacking.

"It's nothing really you can do about it. It's out of your hands. You take it to the hole. We've got to take it to finish. We can't rely on anybody making calls for us, you got to go to finish. If you get fouled you get fouled, but if you make it, that takes care of everything."

Not once

The legend of Ray Allen grows, based on this Friday from the Heat guard:

"I've never had a cramp," he said of his playing career. "I had a cramp one time when I was in college and I was sitting on a couch at home. So I don't know what it feels like during a game to experience that, so I couldn't speak on it."